Pages

Tuesday, October 23, 2012

75 Fun Ways to Practice and Learn Spelling Words

My first grader has a spelling list of 10 words each week that she has to learn. As a teacher, I was always on the giving end of these lists but now as a Mama on the receiving end, I have experienced first hand how boring and tedious it can be to help your child learn these words.... in 4 days.

So of course the only thing to do was to spice up our weekly spelling homework and make it fun. Psst, you know this also makes it more memorable - right?

I compiled this list from things we have done at home, things I plan to do and things I have done over the years in my classroom as a teacher.

Writing & Fine Motor Practice - you can do the old stand-by and write your words on a piece of paper, maybe even the dreaded 5x each or you can.......

1. Play Dough Words - use play dough to form letters to spell out each word.

2. Pipe Cleaner Words - use pipe cleaners and bend and form to make letters used to write out the words.

3. Yarn Words - supply some yarn and scissors and let kids snip and create letters to spell out the words.

4. Puffy Paint Words - mix up a batch of puffy paint, write words and pop them in microwave to watch them puff up. :)

5. Stamp It! - use alphabet stamps and ink pads to stamp out words or let child use fingerprints to write words if you don't have letter stamps.

6. Paint It! - use a paintbrush and paint to spell words.

7. Finger Paint - let them get messy and have some sensory fun and finger paint to spell their words

8. Reverse Chalk Writing (aka Water Writing) - an easy and fun twist on writing words on the chalkboard. Use chalk to cover the chalkboard and have your child use a paintbrush dipped in water to write their words over it. The Lil Divas love this reverse chalk writing.

9. Type It! - if your kiddos are anything like my Lil Divas they love getting computer time, so let them type their spelling words on the computer/ipad/lap top.

10. Rainbow Words - spell words using different colored markers or crayons for each letter.

14. Shaving Cream - This is another fun sensory experience. Make a thin layer of shaving cream on a tray and use a paintbrush or better yet a fingertip to spell out the words. Have some napkins on hand.

15. Trace in the Air - watch as children trace the letters in the air to spell each word.

20. Small/Medium/Large Words - How boring is it to write words 3 or 5 times each? I used to hate doing it as a kid myself so I understand the Oldest Diva not being thrilled about doing it. How about jazzing it up by having them write the word using the smallest letters they can possibly write (this one is a fave), then doing it normal sized and finally jumbo sized. It makes tedious writing practice so much more fun.

21. Build a Word with Legos - using some tape write the letters needed for each word ahead of time on some legos. Mix them up and then call out a word and have child(ren) build it using the appropriate legos and you will end up with some spelling word towers. Now that's a fun way to spell.

22. Crayon Bits - use your broken crayons to make letters and spell the target words.

23. Q-Tip Writing - Use q-tips and paint to dot letters to spell the word or write the word using the q-tip as a paint brush.

24. Magnet Letters - Take a cookie sheet or head for the fridge, add some magnetic letters and spell out the words.

26. Wikki Stix - What a fun bendable material and perfect to use in building letters to spell words.

27. Alphabet Rocks - If you have a set of painted ABC rocks these can be a fun way to build and spell words.

28. Marble Words - The Lil Divas enjoy using our flat bottom decorative marbles to form the letters needed to spell words. You could also use small rocks, decorative gems or whatever you have handy.

29. Coffee Filters & Markers - let your child write the words using markers on coffee filters. Once you are all done, hand them a spray bottle of water and let them turn their spelling practice into art!

30. Hidden Spelling Words - on a white piece of paper let your child write out the spelling words using a white crayon. Once all words have been written use watercolors and paint to make hidden words appear.

31. Paint (or Hair Gel) Bags - Pour paint into a ziplock freezer bag and seal. Use fingertips to write words on bag. To erase, simply squish bag and you are ready for the next word.

32. Alpha-Bit Spelling - Use Alpha-Bit cereal, alphabet pasta or even alphabet cookies to spell words - this can even double as a snack when done reviewing if you use the cereal or cookies.

33. Print Words - Use newspaper or magazine print to cut out fun letters. Have child make words using clipped letters.

34. Novelty Erasers - use small erasers to spell words. I always stock up on seasonal erasers to use for math, etc and they actually work great for spelling too.

35. Q-Tip or Toothpick Letters - use q-tips or toothpicks to build letters and make spelling words.

36. Flower Words - draw a flower for each word, 1 petal for each letter of the word.

37. Other Hand - if you are right handed write your words using your left hand, if you are left handed write words using your right hand.

38. Alphabet Cookie Cutters - use ABC cookie cutters to make words. For extra fun, go ahead and make some word cookies.

39. Window Writing - use Crayola Window Markers and write words on windows or sliding glass doors. They wash off easily and writing on windows or doors is so much more fun than boring old paper.

40. Clothespin Words - Write letters on clothespins and have child pin letters to make words. They can pin onto hanging string (think clothes line) or even an index card.

41. Snap Cube Words - Those colorful snap cubes aren't just for math. Use them to build letters and form spelling words.

42. Flashlight Words - set up an Alphabet chart, turn out the lights and use a flashlight to shine on each letter (one letter at a time) to spell words.

43. Craft Stick Spelling - write the necessary letters on craft sticks, mix them up and have child build words using the appropriate sticks.

44. Scrabble Spelling - use scrabble pieces to build words. For some sneaky math fun have child total the amount for each word.

45. Tub Spelling - use foam letters in the tub and stick onto the wall to make words.

46. Shower Spelling - Yes, more spelling fun in the tub. This time spread some shaving cream on your shower door or tiled wall over the tub and let your child(ren) finger write words.

49. Cereal Words - using circle shaped cereal like Cheerios or Froot Loops build letters to form spelling words. Then have a sweet, crunchy snack.

50. Penny or Coin Spelling - use pennies or other small coins to make letters and spell out words.

51. Lima Beans - Another fun manipulative to use are lima beans. Write letters on beans, mix them up and put them in a pile for the children. Call out spelling words and have child search for the appropriate beans to spell each word.

Oral Practice - sure you can just practice spelling your words out loud but wouldn't it be more fun to........

52. Sing - Use whatever song or beat you like but a simple B-I-N-G-O like song & some clapping works wonders especially on that first day of practicing words. It really helps kids begin to remember those words.

53. Rap - Yes rap! This is so much fun and a great way to - S to the P to the E to the Double L, spells SPELL! Let them have fun with it and get creative. We always end up in fits of giggles and it really doesn't feel like homework.

54. Partner Spell - take turns adding a letter to spell each word. For example, for the word FUN - child starts by saying the letter F, parents adds letter U and child then completes word by adding the letter N. This requires focus and listening and is a great exercise for elementary aged learners.

* In the classroom this gets really fun and challenging when you have lots of kids playing because they have to be paying close attention to what everyone is saying before them. If they miss their letter, they have to sit out the rest of the round. We used to add a fun word at the end of the words too depending on the season like apple, pumpkin, witch, turkey, heart, etc. The person who said that word was also automatically out and had to sit. It was a fun way to play with a large group of kids. *

67. Hop & Spell - hop on one foot as you spell words, this is a great exercise in balance especially with longer words.

Games and Online Fun - you can use flashcards or you can take your spelling practice to a whole new level by playing games and even having some online fun.

68. Have child spell and write 2 sets of words onto flashcards and then play a Memory Game with them.

69. Which is Correct? Write words on dry erase board and include misspelled words. Have child identify the correctly spelled words.

70. Wordsearch - you can visit sites like PuzzleMaker, plug in your child's spelling list and create a word search that you can print. Then have your child search for the correctly spelled spelling words and circle them. Let them use different colored highlighters for some added visual fun.

71. Mystery Letters - write words with missing letters. Child must figure out which mystery letters are missing in order to complete words .

73. Puzzle Words - How about using old puzzle pieces to practice spelling words? I love this idea from No Time for Flashcards.

74. Spelling BINGO - Make or print a few blank BINGO cards to use with spelling practice. Kids love to play BINGO. Write spelling words in boxes and randomly call out (or use flashcards) words. Child should cover appropriate words when called. To make things extra challenging, write words spelled incorrectly in a few spaces as well so child has to discriminate between the correctly spelled words and the incorrect ones.

75. Unscramble - use magnet letters or letter tiles for each word, scramble them up and have child put letters in correct order to spell words.

Thank you Laurie. I find the older they get they less they want to deal with boring spelling so keeping it fun and interactive is definitely the way to go. I used many of these ideas when I taught 3rd grade and the kids loved it.

There are so many different ideas to choose from. My son is 4yrs old and my husband and I are in the process of getting him ready for school. I try to be as creative as I can when coming up with learning activities for him just so I can hol dhis attention for as long as I can. These will be a great help to us. Thank you!

thank you thank you thank you for so many great ideas! My little one is struggling with writing because she hates spelling words wrong so I am looking for any and all ways to make this more fun. Your blog is great!

I would love to add the website http://www.spellingcity.com to the list. VocabularySpellingCity has fun online games and printables to use with your spelling words. You will also find math vocabulary, literature lists, holiday lists, etc. under the Teacher Resources tab. The games work great on your interactive whiteboard.

We bounce on the trampoline. One bounce for each letter. If the player gets it wrong the other spells it back to them in bounces. We trade off so I will pick a spelling word for kid to spell and she will pick a word for me to spell. She always picks really hard words trying to stump me. It is great fun...

We normally finish the spelling words and keep going with every word we can remember. 8^)

I'm new to this blog. I just found it as I was doing a Google search on something for my kids. I'm glad I happened upon it. You've got a lot of great posts. I'm bookmarking it so I can come back and look through your posts with more time. I love these ideas for spelling. We use SpellingCity.com, which has been great for all 3 of my kids of varying ages. Thanks for sharing these ideas!

What an amazing list of ideas - they are so creative. I thought you might also be interested in an app called Squeebles Spelling that we've designed - it allows parents or teachers to input their own customised list of weekly spellings and record the words and any meanings in their own voice. Children are rewarded for their efforts by earning turns on a fun mini-game within the app. The app includes a Parent's Zone, so that parents can remain engaged with their child's progress, where you can see exactly how your child is doing and any words that they may be struggling with, even down to exactly how they're misspelling the word. The words they struggled with are added to a 'tricky words list' within the app, which the child can work on and return to at any point.

If you're interested the app is available for Apple and android devices. I hope you don't mind me letting you know about it here.

Thanks you so much! We homeschool and my 10yo is profoundly dyslexic. We use the Barton Spelling and Reading Program, but the sight words are boring, even for me! I'm going to use these tips, especially the fine motor ones!

Thanks for these ideas. My daughter in 1 St grade hates her spelling words and has a hard time with them in the 4 days of trying to get them to stick which can be frustrating. Deff going to do use your ideas thanks

Any opportunity to use my presentation laser is always exciting for my 9 year old. Spelling his words in laser on the wall is a big thrill! Kids just have to be old enough to not point in their own or anyone else's face/eyes of course.

Awesome post! I love all of these ideas! Spelling had been an issue in our house and this will make spelling practice a lot less painful:) Thank you! I have linked your blog if that is okay and would love to link this particular post as well.

Wow!!! This is so amazing!! I'm so glad that I ran across this! I'm homeschooling my now 2nd grader, and I was trying to figure out different ways to help him learn them... That 2 and 3x each stuff can't get VERY BORING, so I was amazed at the idea of having them to do it different sizes! That's awesome!! Thank you so much for sharing this. :) God bless you!

This is so amazing!! My son hate to sit down and learn his spelling words, he had rather play. He sites in a class room all day that when he get home that is the last thing he wants to do. So I'm going to try some of these ideals, I have a few picked out! Can't wait to try them. He hasn't done good at all this year with his spelling words and I'm scared the teachers are thinking I'm not doing my part as a mom but I do try very hard, he just won't listen to me he says so Boeing and cry's so, I'm at my ending point but the ideals you have is so amazing I can't wait. Thinks so much for sharing them.

Thank you. My 6 year old son has ADHD and he hate to sit down and learn his spelling. He has been failing his spelling test all year. I'm going to try some of your ideas as soon as he gets home from school today. Thank you, you are a life saver.